HRIR 301: STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 VICTORIA MANAGEMENT SCHOOL HRIR 301: STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Trimester Two 2007 COURSE OUTLINE CONTACT DETAILS COURSE COORDNIATOR Grant Herman: Room: RH 1006, Rutherford House Phone: or Mobile: (027) or Office Hrs: Wednesday, am LECTURER Sarah Proctor Thomson: Room: RH 1032, Rutherford House Phone: sarah.proctor Office Hrs: Tuesdays, pm ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT Tania Loughlin Room RH1022, Rutherford House Phone: CLASS LOCATION AND TIME: Lecture and Seminar: Tuesdays 8:30 am 10:20 am RHLT2 (& at times GBLT3) Lecture: Wednesdays 8:30 am 9:20 am RHLT2 FINAL EXAMINATION: Three hour exam in the period 19 October 10 November 2007 COURSE CONTENT The study of Strategic Human Resource Management is about taking a step back to consider how a range of human resource management options available to organisations and businesses can be strategically employed to further organisational objectives. This course has two central themes: 1. How human resource management policies and practices can be implemented and integrated in the strategic management of organisations, and 2. How to theorise, develop and reflect upon systematic, strategic human resource management policies in the context of organisational, social, legal, technical and global change. 1

2 COURSE OBJECTIVES This course is designed to enable students to: analyse HR issues, with respect to external and internal influences understand how organisational strategy, global competition, technological change workforce characteristics and government regulation influence HR decisions appreciate how different HR policies and practices relate to one another become proficient in case analysis and discussion. To achieve these objectives, the course requires active participation from students during the lectures and seminar discussions. Seminar groups will be allocated in Week 2 and finalised in Week 3. Group work on case studies begins in week 4. COURSE RELATED LEARNING OBJECTIVES This course will provide students opportunity: 1. To develop oral, written and IT related communication skills through active participation in seminar and class discussion, and group case study work through the development and presentation of the written work, oral group presentations and exam through formal and informal classroom debate 2. To develop critical and creative thinking skills through the critical review essay, class exercises and assignments requiring analysis, evaluation, interpretation and synthesis 3. To develop leadership skills through structuring independent study for your essay, seminar and group work preparation and exam preparation through being a contributing member of the case group work and presentation through fulfilling spokesperson duties, reporting on a group s activities or ideas to the class in seminars GROUP WORK While the course has a tradition of study group collaboration, there are important elements in the assessment process that are strictly individual. Collaboration on individual assignments is not allowed beyond general discussion as to how one might interpret the nature of the assignment question. When working on individual assignments please do not work together to formulate a response and do not loan out your completed assignments. You will be expected and encouraged to work in groups on in term group case presentations and assignments; however essays must be individual submissions. 2

3 COURSE READINGS 1. Core Texts Millmore, M, Lewis, P, Saunders, M. Thornhill, A., & Morrow, T. (2007). Strategic Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. A course reader will be handed out in the first session in week 1. These core texts should be used as resources that will be helpful throughout your studies; however, they are only a starting point. You are expected to read more widely around the course topic areas drawing on academic journal articles, books, reports and case studies. 2. Recommended reading lists will accompany lecture notes for each topic. 3. Additional textbooks available in the library which you may find useful to supplement the core text include: Baron, J.N. and Kreps, D.M. (2000). Strategic Human Resource Management: Frameworks for General Managers. Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons. Kirton, G. and Green, A.M. (2005). The Dynamics of Managing Diversity; A Critical Approach (2 ed.). Burlington: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann. Legge, K. (2005). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Mabey, C., Salaman, G. and Storey, J. (Eds). (1998). Strategic Human Resource Management: A Reader. London: Sage Publications. Macky, K. and Johnson, G. (2003). Managing Human Resources in New Zealand, 2 nd Edition. Auckland: McGraw Hill. Rudman, Richard (2002). Human Resources Management in New Zealand, 4 th Edition. Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand. 4. Useful Journals: Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources Employment Today Harvard Business Review Human Resources Human Resource Management Human Resource Management Review Human Relations International Journal of Human Resource Management New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management Personnel Management EXPECTED WORKLOAD This is difficult to estimate. As a guide only on workload students can expect to spend 12hrs per week including scheduled contact time (lectures, tutorials, and workshops), group work and independent study outside class. 3

4 LECTURE TOPICS The following shows a broad outline of the topic sequence in the course. WEEK ENDING TOPICS Due dates for assignments 1 13 July Course outline Introduction What is strategic HRM and how does it contribute to organisational strategy? Approaches to SHRM Internal consistency The components of Human Resource Management review and consolidation 2 20 July HR Planning Recruitment and Selection 3 27 July Strategic Human Resource Development: Training & Careers 4 3 August Compensation and Motivation Performance Management 5 10 August Evaluation of HRM practices Assignment 1. Due Wed 8 th Strategic Human Resource Management issues 6 17 August Employment Equity Diversity as an HR strategy Aug, 4.00pm Group case presentations MID TERM BREAK 7 7 Sept Managing the Employment Relationship: Participation, Voice & Communication 8 14 Sept Social and Economic impacts Labour Markets Internationalisation Group case presentations Group case presentations 9 21 Sept High Commitment HRM Group case presentations Sept Organisational Change Restructuring Downsizing 11 5 October Organisational design Organisational culture October Putting it all together Review and Conclusion Group case presentations Group case presentations Assignment 3 Due Mon 1 st Oct, 4pm 4

5 COURSE ASSESSMENT The purpose of assessment is to evaluate how well each student has understood the issues presented in the course: 1 Review Essay 25% 2 Group Presentation of a weekly Case 10% 3 Group Case Assignment 15% 4 Final examination 50% Total 100% Item 1 Review Essay (total length between 1,500 2,000 words, value 25%) Due: Wednesday 8 th August 2007, 4.00 pm Drawing on a range of academic literature, critically evaluate and discuss ONE of the following statements: 1. Strategic HRM is essential to the successful pursuit of organisational objectives. OR 2. The success of strategic HRM is determined both by how well it vertically integrates with overall organisational strategy and how well the various HRM components horizontally integrate with each other. Full criteria and reading guide will be given out in the first week of the course. This assessment will familiarise students with some of the literature sources in the library and require students to synthesise the various strands of HRM covered in HRIR 201 and the content in first section of this course. Item 2 Group presentations on allocated case studies (20 minutes per group, value 10%) Scheduled during weeks 6 11 Full criteria and the allocation of groups & cases will be handed out in Week 2. Each group will be required to analyse and present a case study relating to the topics of the course. Your group will receive a single mark for the presentation. Item 3 Group Case Assignment (total length up to 2,500 words, value 15%) Due Monday 1 st October 2007, 4:00 pm Full criteria and case study will be handed out in week 6 of the course. Your seminar group will be required to provide a detailed analysis of the case, looking at the strategic HRM issues it raises. The case study should be written up as a report, which should include the following features: Overview of the organisation concerned and its current HRM practices. Clear identification of the key issues and problems. Review of relevant literature, and how the thinking in the literature can be applied to the issues. If required, a set or recommendations, based on your collective reading, observation and analysis, on how the organisation could resolve the issues you have identified. You will have some opportunity to discuss the case in groups during seminar sessions, but you will need to allocate time outside the formal class sessions to work on the report. Overall, this assessment item is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply, in a group context, the knowledge 5

6 developed in the course to an analysis of a specific organisation undergoing substantial change. You should refer to appropriate sources (such as journal articles and books) in your report. Each group member will be required to write a specific section of the report and to identify that contribution. There will be: 1. an individual mark for each group member out of 10 allocated for her/his identified contribution, and 2. a single group mark out of 5 for the cohesiveness and presentation of the report as a whole on the basis of the report s structure, writing quality, referencing etc. Therefore group members will receive a total grade out of 15 marks (10 individual and 5 group). Item 4 Final Examination (value 50%) The final examination is worth 50% of the total marks available for this course. It is closed book 3 hour examination. The examination is made up of 2 parts. The first part consists of a series of short answer questions relating to any of the topics covered throughout the course. The second part is an analysis of a case study and short answers. More detail relating to the content of the examination will be discussed with students during the final weeks of the course. MANDATORY COURSE REQUIREMENTS In addition to obtaining an overall course mark of 50% or more, students must: 1. Attend 7 out of 9 seminars during weeks 3 11 (it is the students responsibility to ensure they register their attendance on a roll taken each week; 2. Submit all assignments; and 3. Achieve at least 40% in the final examination. Students who fail to satisfy the mandatory requirements for this course but who obtain 50% or more overall, will be awarded a "K" grade. Standard fail grades (D or E) will be awarded when the student s overall course mark falls below the minimum pass mark, whether or not the mandatory course requirements have been satisfied. Notice of Failure to meet Mandatory Course Requirements 1 & 2 above will be posted on Blackboard in week 12. HANDING IN ASSIGNMENTS The essay and the group assignment are to be submitted both as hard copy to the HRIR 301 assignment box (Mezzanine Floor of Rutherford House, Box #13) AND electronically to the HRIR 301 Blackboard Digital dropbox, by no later than 4pm on the due date. All completed assignments must have a cover sheet. The cover sheet is attached to this course outline. Students must also keep an electronic copy of their work archived in case the original assignment goes missing. Failure to do so will jeopardise any claim by you that your work was submitted in the rare cases where your work goes astray. Assignments will be submitted to Turnitin to check for plagiarism. Turnitin is an online plagiarism prevention tool which identifies material that may have been copied from other sources including the internet, books, journals, periodicals or other students. Turnitin is used to assist your lecturer in detecting mis referencing, misquotation, and the inclusion of unattributed material, which may be forms of cheating or plagiarism. 6

7 The decision about whether any copying is plagiarism will be made in the first instance by the lecturer based on the information supplied by Turnitin. You are strongly advised to check with the lecturer if you are uncertain about how to use and cite material from other sources. Turnitin will retain a copy of submitted materials on behalf of the University for detection of future plagiarism. Access to the full text of submissions will not be made available to any third party. PENALTIES FOR LATENESS & EXCESSIVE LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENTS (i) In fairness to other students, work submitted after any deadline will incur a penalty for lateness. The penalty is 5% of the marks available for an assignment submitted after the due time on the due date for each part day or day late. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays will be included when counting the number of days late. Assignments received more than 10 days after the due date will not be accepted and the student will automatically fail the Mandatory Course Requirements. (ii) Course Outlines provide a signal to student of forthcoming workload, dates of submission etc, and thus student study plans should take account of course requirements across all courses. Consequently, workload issues related to other courses and employment will not be accepted as reason for dispensation from mandatory requirements or waiver of penalties. Extensions to submission deadlines for any assigned work will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. (iii) Students who are unable to comply with any of the mandatory requirements should make a written application for an extension to the due date for submission of assigned work or for waiver of a penalty, in advance, to the Course Coordinator, providing documentary evidence of the reasons of their circumstances. (iv) (v) Where possible all such applications should be made before the deadline and be accompanied by documentary evidence, eg a medical certificate, or counsellor s report that indicates the degree of impairment, and for how long the student has been impaired. Please be sure to ask at the time of consultation for the degree of impairment to be stated in any certificate you provide to support your case. In the event of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances (e.g. serious illness, family bereavement), that precludes an application in advance, students should make contact with the Course Coordinator as soon as possible, and make application for waiver of a penalty as soon as practicable. Word limits should be adhered to, especially so when they provide a guide to limiting the student s coverage of a topic. The penalty will be 5% of the grade for an assignment which is 10% or more over the word limit. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM Academic integrity is about honesty put simply it means no cheating. All members of the University community are responsible for upholding academic integrity, which means staff and students are expected to behave honestly, fairly and with respect for others at all times. Plagiarism is a form of cheating which undermines academic integrity. The University defines plagiarism as follows: The presentation of the work of another person or other persons as if it were one s own, whether intended or not. This includes published or unpublished work, material on the Internet and the work of other student or staff. It is still plagiarism even if you re structure the material or present it in your own style or words. Note: It is however, perfectly acceptable to include the work of others as long as that is acknowledged by appropriate referencing. Plagiarism is prohibited at Victoria and is not worth the risk. Any enrolled student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary procedures under the Statute on Student Conduct and may be penalised severely. Consequences of being found guilty of plagiarism can include: 7

8 an oral or written warning cancellation of your mark for an assessment or a fail grade for the course suspension from the course or the University. Find out more about plagiarism, and how to avoid it, on the University s website at GRADING GUIDELINES The following broad indicative characterisations of grade will apply in grading assignments and the exam: A+ excellent performance in all respects at this level A excellent performance in almost all respects at this level A excellent performance in many respects at this level B+ very good, some aspects excellent B, B good but not excellent performance at this level C+, C work satisfactory overall but inadequate in some respects D poor performance overall, some aspects adequate E K well below the required standard Failure to achieve mandatory course requirements and have achieved at least an average "C" over all the assessment. Note this is a failing grade. POLICY ON REMARKING Every attempt is made to ensure that the marking is consistent across lecturers and fair to students. Students may ask for their written work to be remarked. A different lecturer will do the remarking and provide comments. The original marking sheet is removed to ensure the process is independent. If the mark differs by 10% or less the two marks are averaged. If it exceeds 10% then it is independently marked by a third marker and the average of the two closest marks is taken. Experience from previous years is that almost all remarks are within 10% and where there is a change in mark, half the assignments go up and half go down. Occasionally there is a significant shift in the mark. Application for remarks must be made within 5 days after the marks are available. To apply for a remark, complete the request for re examination of assessed work form (Annex C) stating which sections (criteria listed in the mark sheet) you wish re examined. Write on why you think the mark does not, in your view, fairly reflect the quality of your work. Hand this with your assignment at Reception Level 10. Allow for up to 5 days for remarks to be completed. REFERENCING There are many different styles of referencing and the Faculty of Commerce & Administration at VUW has decided to make APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style the common standard across the Faculty. The Commerce and Central Libraries hold the APA Style Guide. You can also access the information from the online VUW library site ( COMMUNICATION Information on course related matters will be announced at class and posted on the Blackboard website at It will be crucial for you to regularly check Blackboard for messages, announcements and materials. Course material will also be distributed in lectures. Material not picked up in lectures will be available from the Administrative Assistant on the 10th floor of Rutherford House. 8

9 CONTRACT Students wishing to contact staff by should adhere to the following instructions: Include the Course Code, your Name, your Student ID and the Topic in the subject area of the , eg HRIR301_Smith_Pauline_ _Ass1 Query All students must use their VUW SCS account and ID. Otherwise, will be classified as Spam and will be dumped without being read. All s with attachments will be dumped, unless requested by staff. FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICES Railway West Wing (RWW) FCA Student and Academic Services Office The Faculty s Student and Academic Services Office is located on the ground and first floors of the Railway West Wing. The ground floor counter is the first point of contact for general enquiries and FCA forms. Student Administration Advisers are available to discuss course status and give further advice about FCA qualifications. To check for opening hours call the Student and Academic Services Office on (04) Easterfield (EA) FCA/Education/Law Kelburn Office The Kelburn Campus Office for the Faculties of Commerce and Administration, Education and Law is situated in the Easterfield Building it includes the ground floor reception desk (EA005) and offices 125a to 131 (Level 1). The office is available for the following: Duty tutors for student contact and advice. Information concerning administrative and academic matters. Forms for FCA Student and Academic Services (e.g. application for academic transcripts, requests for degree audit, COP requests). Examinations related information during the examination period. To check for opening hours call the Student and Academic Services Office on (04) GENERAL UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND STATUTES Students should familiarise themselves with the University's policies and statutes, particularly the Assessment Statute, the Personal Courses of Study Statute, the Statute on Student Conduct and any statutes relating to the particular qualifications being studied; see the Victoria University Calendar or go to For information on the following topics, go to the Faculty s website under Important Information for Students: Academic Grievances Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Student and Staff Conduct Meeting the Needs of Students with Impairments Student Support MANAAKI PIHIPIHINGA PROGRAMME Manaaki Pihipihinga is an academic mentoring programme for undergraduate Māori and Pacific students in the Faculties of Commerce and Administration, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Sessions are held at the Kelburn and Pipitea Campuses in the Mentoring Rooms, 14 Kelburn Parade (back courtyard), Room 109D, and Room 210, Level 2, Railway West Wing. There is also a Pacific Support Coordinator who assists Pacific students by linking them to the services and support they need while studying at Victoria. Another feature of the programme is a support network for Postgraduate students with links to Postgraduate workshops and activities around Campus. For further information, or to register with the programme, manaaki pihipihinga programme@vuw.ac.nz or phone (04) ext To contact the Pacific Support Coordinator, pacific support coord@vuw.ac.nz or phone (04)

10 Victoria Management School HRIR 301 Individual Assignment Cover Sheet Name: Student ID: Workshop stream leader: Grant Herman Sarah Proctor Thomson (Circle as appropriate) Date Due: Date Submitted: Word Count: I have read and understood the university policy on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism. I declare this assignment is free from plagiarism. Signed: Extension of the due date (if applicable) Please attach a copy of the note authorising your extension. Date extension applied for: Extension granted until: Extension granted by: 10